CURIA INNOCENZIANA. — Innocenzo XII, after abolishing various privileged jurisdictions by the constitution Romanus Pontifex curae of 17 September 1692 and remitting all cases to the ordinary judges, wished, for the convenience of the Roman Curia, to bring together the various tribunals of Rome in a single building. For this purpose he purchased from the Ludovisi family the building (begun by Bernini), which was not yet completed, together with some neighboring houses, “all of it situated in the area of Rome called Montecitorio.” He then commissioned the architect Mattia de Rossi to continue the building.
The offices and chancelleries of the civil tribunals were located on the ground floor; on the upper floors were the auditor general of the Rev. Apostolic Camera, the courts of first instance, the treasurer general of the Rev. Apostolic Camera and their secretariats, as well as the criminal tribunal of the same auditor general. The offices of the notaries of the said auditor were also transferred to the Curia.
The lottery drawing used to be held every fifteen days in the central loggia. This drawing was restored there by Pius VII, who returned to Rome after the Napoleonic deportation. The c. i., so called from the name of its founder, continued to operate with its civil and criminal tribunals until 1848, when the auditor general of the Rev. Apostolic Camera ceased to have a tribunal of his own and also left the c. i. as his residence. The treasurer general met the same fate. New tenants and new offices, more suited to the times, took their place in the c. i. The Monsignor director general of police, having been granted the rank of minister and also entrusted with the office of vice-chamberlain, was given a residence in the c. i., together with the headquarters of his offices. The same was done in 1853 for the minister of the Interior and for the dicastery of Grace and Justice. It has been the seat of Parliament since 27 November 1871.